Improvement in street letter-boxes



drawings, in whichdit tlaitnl Y www SAMUEL STRONG, OF WASHINGTON CITY, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Letters Patent No. 88,528, dated March 30, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN STREET LETTER-BOXES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

l Be it known that I, SAMUEL STRONG, of Washington City, in the county of Washington ,A and District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Street Letter-Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying Figure l is a side elevation, in perspective, ot a letter-box made in pursuance'of my invention, and

Figures 2 and 3 are sections in'line ax, iig. 1; fig. 2 lshowing the drop-lid' closed, and g. 3, showing it open.

lhe nature of my invention consists in so constructing a drop-letter box, that when a letter' or package has been deposited therein, it will be impossible to extract it without unlocking or breaking the box.

In the accompanying drawings- A is the box, in which the letters are deposited,and

B, the lid, which must be opened to remove the contents of the box.

This lid is hinged to the'back part of the box, and its front edge is provided with a hasp, or other suitable device, for locking it to the box A.

In this lid B there is a rectangular aperture, O which is surrounded by a vertical ange, D

l This aperture C is covered by a hinged lid, F, which has a tlauge, D', around its edge, projecting downward, and fitting, when the lid F is closed, closely around the flange D, which surrounds the aperture in tbe lid B.

ltigidly attached to the back part of the lid F, is an inclined plate, ll", of the saine form as the aperture C, andol' such size that it will practically close the aperture O when the lid F is raised.

On the upper edge of the front part of flange D, is a ledge, (l, projecting inward, which limits the extent to which the lid F may be raised, by arresting the ascent of the inclined plate F.

lhe ange D is of such height that as the lid F within the aperture C, and surrounded by said flange, until the flange D of the lid F begins to close down over the front part of' said lange D; and as the lid F is raised, the inclined plate F closes the recess C before the lower edge of ange D' rises above flange D, so that at no time can anything be extracted from the box through the aperture O, without breaking or removing the lid F.

The ascent of the lid 'F may be limited to any point desired, by a stop, I1, at the back p'art of it.

The lid B may-be rigidly attached to the box, or cast therewith, and a .door may be provided in the side or end of the box, for removingfthe contents.

This construction 'will be found most convenient for one-armedletter-carriers, as it will obviate the. necessity of holding up the lid while the letters are being removed from thel box.

The ope-ration is as follows:

The lid F is raised until the front edge of the inclined plate F comes in 'contact with the ledge d, or until its ascent is arrested by the stop b, and the letter or package is deposted upon said inclined plate F.'

The lid F is thencloseddown, and the front edge of the inclined plate F' falls snllciently below the aperture.

in the lid B, to form'an opening for the letter or package Ito drop into the box A, from which it cannot be removed without unlocking or breaking the box.

Having thus 'fully described my improvement. and its mode of operation,

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-'- The flanged lid F with its inclined. plate F4, in combination with the aperture C, and surrounding flange D, all constructed to operate substantially as within described.

SAMUEL STRONG.. Witnesses:

G. A. O. SMITH, E. R. BROWN.

descends, the inclined plate F is all the time moving 

